Page 46 of Saving Her

“Stop.” I scramble backward, shielding Tobias behind me, one hand on his shoulder, the other stretched out in front of me in warning. “Stay where you are.”

My brother freezes. “Penny, it’s me.” His voice is filled with rejection. And the way he looks at me.God.I can’t take it.

I don’t know how he got mixed up with Luca and Cole. I’m not sure I want to know. But I can’t join him.

My sisters are still in danger. Mynew familyneed my help. And I won’t be anything other than worthless if I let my brother take one step closer to my temperamental stability.

“I don’t want to see you.” I backtrack, inching closer to the window.

He jerks as if my words hit him like a physical blow.

I can’t take the guilt. His sorrow strips layers from me—his judgment at who I’ve become slices deep.

“Please leave.” I hold his stare, not softening the harshness of my expression. “Now.”

His lips part. Shoulders slump. “I…”

Luca appears in the doorway, infusing me with relief.

“Get him out of here,” I beg. “Please.”

“Don’t panic.” Luca edges into the room, stopping beside Sebastian. “You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

I haveeverythingto worry about—my brothers’ safety, and that of my parents. I don’t want any of them near me. Not now. Not ever.

“Make him leave.” I creep closer and closer to the window.

“I will, I promise, but you need to tell me why.”

I shake my head. I don’t need to tell him anything. Not when my trust in him bounces like a rubber ball. One minute he’s my savior, the next my captor.

“What the hell is going on?” Sebastian murmurs. “Why is she scared of me?”

The answer clogs my throat, the words filled with far too much depth and destruction for anyone to understand. Nobody here is capable of comprehending my fear over what I could do to him. What the dangers surrounding me will bring.

I just want to go back to pretending my family doesn’t exist. My meager strength was far less brittle then.

Luca doesn’t quit holding my gaze. He keeps the visual connection steady, not judging, not sympathizing. Just strong.

“Penny, Decker has put his life on the line for a long time all in an effort to find you.”

I continue to back away, not wanting to hear the placations.

“He didn’t willingly begin working with Cole,” he continues. “It was all for you.”

“You work for Cole?” I pin my brother with a stare, my insides begging for him to deny the betrayal. “You work for the family who took me?”

“It’s not like that.” He shakes his head. “It’s complicated.”

“We didn’t know.” A woman inches into the room. “We had no idea what was happening in Greece.”

I cast my gaze over her, from the gleaming shoes, to the designer clothes, all the way up to her subtly perfect make-up. She’s beautiful. But there’s something about her that sets me on edge. A familiarity. “Who are you?”

“Keira.” She gives a sad smile. “I’m Cole’s sister. And I’m told this little guy is my half-brother.” Her smile increases as she looks at Tobias. “It’s an honor to meet you.”

The hair on the back of my neck prickles.

The familiarity makes sense now. She’s Luther’s daughter. She even has the devil’s eyes. His full lips, too.

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